User adaptable garment

ABSTRACT

A user adaptable garment is based upon a flexible tubular body, generally of a cloth construction, which can be configured into a number of forms. By using pairs of matching clasps and clasp receptacles, preferably of a toggle design, a user can pull lower edge of the garment to an upper edge. The garment can be held in this position by securing the clasps with the corresponding clasp receptacles. By folding parts of the garment in different patterns, by rotating the garment, or through a combination of similar steps, the garment can function as a sleeveless top, a cape, a throw, a shawl, a halter and a number of other items as imagined by the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.14/525,472, filed Oct. 28, 2014, which in turn claims a priority to theU.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/896,206 filed on Oct.28, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an adaptable garment which iscapable of being used for numerous functions. The adaptable garment is acylindrical piece which can be a single fabric piece or multiple fabricpieces joined together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Garments are generally provided for specific purposes and are often of aone-size-fits-all nature. As example is the scarf, which is universallyoffered as a patterned or plain fabric in one size designed for beingworn mostly around the head or neck, whether as a wrap or decorativeaccessory. The scarf is quite useful due to the number of ways it can bewrapped and worn by a user, but there is room for improvement. Animproved scarf could be used for a wider range of functions, expandingupon the possibilities of a standard scarf.

It is therefore an objective or the present invention to provide a useradaptable garment that is suitable for a number of purposes. The presentinvention can be worn wrapped around the head and neck in some of itsconfigurations but additionally can be worn as any one of threedistinctly functional garments: a sleeveless top, a cape or a shrug, aswell as several body wrap functions including a skirt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective drawing of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a top plan drawing showing an unfinished version of thepresent invention, with individual segments not connected into thecylinder shape.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of the toggle-style clasp receptacle of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of the toggle-style clasp of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the present invention being folded over.

FIG. 6 is an illustration showing the present invention in a sleevelesstop form.

FIG. 7 is another illustration showing the present invention in asleeveless top form, with overlapping cloth indicated by hatchedpattern.

FIG. 8 is an illustration showing the present invention in a cape form,with overlapping cloth indicated by hatched pattern.

FIG. 9 is an illustration showing the present invention in a shrug form.

FIG. 10A is an illustration showing one potential scarf form of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10B is an illustration showing another potential scarf form of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is an illustration showing a halter top form of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is an illustration showing a halter top form being transformedinto a shawl form.

FIG. 13 is an illustration showing a shawl form of the presentinvention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is an adaptable garment that allows a user toconvert it into a desirable form. Resulting from this adaptability, thepresent invention is suitable for use with multiple functions, limitedonly by the imagination of a user. The present invention is shownthrough FIG. 1A-FIG. 13 of the accompanying illustrations.

The present invention comprises a flexible tubular body 1 which has afirst surface 2 and a second surface 3. The first surface 2 and secondsurface 3 act as the interior and exterior of the present invention;however, since the present invention can be turned inside-out, thesurfaces can switch between interior and exterior depending on the formconfigured by a user. Additionally, the first surface 2 or secondsurface 3 can be part interior and part exterior if the flexible tubularbody 1 is folded over, as shown in FIG. 5. The first surface 2 andsecond surface 3 themselves each comprise an upper edge 4 and a loweredge 5. These edges essentially define the top and bottom of theflexible tubular body 1, though due to its flexibility and adaptabilitythe present invention could be inverted without impairing its function.This is another way the present invention can be considered reversible.

This flexible tubular body 1 serves as the basis for the presentinvention, acting as an item which can be donned as a garment (e.g.cape), accessory (e.g. scarf), or similar clothing related item. Theflexible tubular body 1 can be made from a number of differentmaterials. For example, in a preferred embodiment a sheer lightweightfabric is used for construction of the flexible tubular body 1, idealfor use in a number of situations. In an alternative embodiment,provided for travel purposes, the material used can instead be a jerseyknit fabric. Such a fabric is beneficial for travel as it does notwrinkle and is stain resistant. Additionally, the fabric is light enoughthat it can be washed in a sink and air-dried in a few hours; this isadvantageous during travel when traditional laundry facilities may belimited, expensive, or even unavailable.

To allow the present invention to be switched between and secured in oneof a variety of desirable forms, at least one pair of clasps 6 and atleast one pair of clasp receptacles 7 are provided for the first surface2. Illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2A-FIG. 5, the clasps 6 arepositioned adjacent to the upper edge 4 while the corresponding claspreceptacles 7 are positioned adjacent to the lower edge 5. Additionally,the clasps 6 and clasp receptacles 7 are positioned at opposite endsalong the perimeter of the flexible tubular body 1. That is, the clasps6 are positioned at a front section of the flexible tubular body 1,while the clasp receptacles 7 are positioned at a rear section of theflexible tubular body 1. The positioning of these can be further definedin relation to a vertical reference axis and a horizontal referenceaxis. The vertical reference axis and horizontal reference axis areperpendicular to each other, with the vertical reference axis beingparallel with the first surface 2 and the second surface 3. Thehorizontal reference axis is perpendicular to both the first surface 2and second surface 3, as it traverses into and through the flexibletubular body 1. The clasps 6 and clasp receptacles 7 are positionedopposite each other with regards to the coordinates of each of theseaxes; this results in the positioning shown in FIG. 5. The describedpositioning is ideal for the clasp 6 and clasp receptacle 7 as it allowsthe tubular body to be folded over, bringing the top edge of the firstsurface 2 to meet the lower edge 5 of the second surface 3 and thusallowing the clasps 6 to engage the clasp receptacles 7 and secure thepresent invention in a new form such as a cape or shawl.

As illustrated, the clasps 6 and clasp receptacles 7 are of a toggledesign. The individual clasp 6 itself comprises a bar 8, which isconnected to the second surface 3, interior to the flexible tubular body1. The individual clasp receptacle 7 comprises a ring 9, which islikewise positioned interior to the flexible tubular body 1 andconnected to the second surface 3. To allow a user to more easilymanipulate the clasp 6 and clasp receptacle 7 and thus engage ordisengage them from each other, they are each pivotally connected to thesecond surface 3. This allows the bar 8 and the ring 9 to more easilyallow the bar 8 to be threaded through the ring 9 (i.e. engaged with thering 9) or removed from the ring 9 (i.e. disengaged).

The flexible tubular body 1 can be manufactured in a number of ways; forexample, the flexible tubular body 1 can be made by taking a singlepiece of cloth and joining the free ends together to create a uniformbody. In another potential example, the flexible tubular body 1comprises a plurality of segments 10. Two segments from the pluralityare joined together, with a reference segment 11 being connected to anadjacent segment 12. Any number of segments can be connected in thismanner, with the series of segments being closed by connecting a finalsegment to the first segment. In this manner the plurality of segments10 are serially connected to each other resulting in the uniformflexible tubular body 1.

One way the adjacent segments 12 and reference segment 11 can beconnected to each other is by a seam. Sewing a seam is a simple,inexpensive, and effective way of joining two segments to each other,though it is not the only manner in which two segments can be connected.Furthermore, the seam can be finished in order to make it morepresentable. By having a finished seam the flexible tubular body 1 canbe reversed, exposing the second surface 3 and seam, without detractingfrom the aesthetics of the present invention.

While there are advantages to the components and configurations thus fardescribed for the present invention, this does not preclude the use ofalternative embodiments. For example, the illustrated embodiment uses atoggle design for the clasp 6 and clasp receptacle 7 due to severaladvantages; one advantage is toggles do not cause bunching or catchingof the flexible tubular body 1 when folded over, as occurs with moretraditional mechanisms including snaps, buttons, and hook-and-loop (morecommonly known by the trademarked name of Velcro). Another advantage oftoggles, compared to the aforementioned alternatives, is their morefashionable nature. Toggles are able to serve as decorative elements inaddition to coupling elements, improving the visual impact of thepresent invention. Regardless, it is possible to replace the toggleswith alternative components if so desired. Likewise, while theillustrated embodiment has two pairs of toggles, the number of togglescould be increased or even decreased while still allowing a user toconvert the present invention between various forms.

The present invention is capable of being worn in different styles,dependent upon how the user configures and dons the present invention.Several examples of how the present invention may be used aresubsequently provided, assuming an embodiment with two toggles asillustrated in FIG. 3-FIG. 5. These are only a few ways the presentinvention may be used and do not limit users from devising and imaginingfurther ways to configure the present invention.

For each method of wearing 9 the garment, it is first placed on a flatsurface. The flexible tubular body 1 thus presents a rectangular profileto a user. The lower edge 5 of the first surface 2 is then folded up,such that the male toggle components (i.e. the bars 8) are positionednext to the female toggle components (i.e. the rings 9). The togglecomponents can then be engaged with each other, resulting in threeopenings being formed at the top of the flexible tubular body 1. Thecentral opening is provided for a user's head, while the lateralopenings on either side are provided for a user's arms. The user canthen place their head through the central opening and their arms throughthe lateral openings, wearing the flexible tubular body 1 as asleeveless top as shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 shows where the flexibletubular body 1 overlaps with itself, said areas being indicated by thehatched pattern on the drawing.

This sleeveless top can then be converted to a cape as shown in FIG. 8.The user accomplishes this by first bringing their arms inside theflexible tubular body 1 (instead of having the arms protruding from thelateral openings as done in the sleeveless top form). The user thenrotates the flexible tubular body 1 90 degrees, resulting in one togglebeing anteriorly positioned, and the other toggle being positionedposteriorly positioned. That is, one toggle is in front of the user andthe other toggle is behind. As with the sleeveless top, areas where theflexible tubular body 1 overlap with itself are indicated by a hatchedpattern.

Alternatively, the sleeveless top can be converted into a shrug ratherthan a cape. To do this, instead of retracting their arms and rotatingthe flexible tubular body 1 a user takes the “front” lower edge 5 of theflexible tubular body 1 and reverses it over their head. The term frontis subjective to the viewpoint of the user; the part of the tubular bodythat is positioned adjacent to the anterior side of the user isconsidered the front. As the lower edge 5 is pulled over the user's headto the user's posterior, the flexible tubular body 1 falls into a shrugform. An illustration of this is provided in FIG. 9.

Though a few example forms have been described, as mentioned they do notlimit the use of other forms. A few other possibilities are illustratedin FIG. 9-FIG. 13, including a scarf, a halter, and a shawl. Allowingthe present invention to be accessible to a variety of potentialcustomers, different embodiments may be provided in different sizes.Ideally, the present invention is offered in five different sizes suchthat the function and style is consistent across users of differentphysical characteristics. The circumference of the present inventionmight range from 80 inches at the smallest size up to 120 inches at thelargest size, though it is not limited to this range. Thus, whenmeasured in a flat rectangular shape as seen in FIG. 1, the lengthranges from 40 inches to 60 inches. The height can range from 28 inchesto 40 inches, though other dimensions may be used with differentembodiments.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed:
 1. A method of using an adaptable garment, comprising:providing a generally tubular shaped, flexible fabric body having afirst surface and a second surface, the generally tubular shaped bodyhaving a first elongated edge and a second elongated edge, saidgenerally tubular having a pair of toggle clasps positioned spaced fromone another adjacent said first elongated edge and a pair of togglereceptacles positioned spaced from one another adjacent said secondelongated edge opposite said toggle clasps; placing the tubular shaped,flexible fabric body on a flat surface and folding one of the elongatededges so as to position the first and second elongated edges to overlapone another with the toggle clasps and toggle receptacles aligned;threading the toggle clasps into the toggle receptacles to form asleeveless top, having an opening between the toggle clasps adapted toinsert a wearer's head, with the toggle clasps adapted to be positionedon the wearer's shoulders; and transforming the sleeveless top to acape, or a shrug, or a halter, scarf or shawl by a transforming step ofconverting the sleeveless top to a cape by rotating the garment so thatthe toggle clasps are adapted to be positioned in front and in back ofthe wearer; or a transforming step of converting the sleeveless top to ashrug by gathering one edge of the tubular body to be positioned over ahead of a wearer; or a transforming step of converting the sleevelesstop to a halter, scarf or shawl by gathering together the edges of thetubular shaped fabric body.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theflexible tubular body comprises a plurality of segments; and a referencesegment from the plurality of segments is connected to an adjacentsegment form the plurality of segments.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein each of plurality of segments is serially connected to eachother to form the flexible tubular body.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein the reference segment is connected to the adjacent segment by aseam.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the seam is a finished seam. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one pair of toggleclasps includes a bar, and the receptacle is a ring; and the bar isadjacently connected to the second surface.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the bar is pivotally connected to the second surface.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one pair of toggleclasps comprises a bar; each of the at least one pair of claspreceptacles comprises a ring; the at least one pair of clasps isadjacently connected to the first surface; the at least one pair ofclasp receptacles is adjacently connected to the second surface; the atleast one pair of clasps is positioned opposite the at least one pair ofclasp receptacles around the second surface; the at least one pair ofclasps is positioned adjacent to the upper edge of the second surface;the at least one pair of clasp receptacles is positioned adjacent to thelower edge of the first surface; a reference segment from the pluralityof segments is connected to an adjacent segment from the plurality ofsegments; one bar is adjacently connected to the second surface; one baris pivotally connected to the second surface; one ring is adjacentlyconnected to the second surface; and one ring is pivotally connected tothe second surface.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of theplurality of segments is serially connected to each other to form theflexible tubular body.